


Real, or Not Real

by wordsaplenty



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Emotional Hurt, Gen, Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Hallucinations, Heat Stroke, Hurt Keith (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-25
Updated: 2018-01-25
Packaged: 2019-03-09 04:35:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13473807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wordsaplenty/pseuds/wordsaplenty
Summary: Keith is stranded on a desert planet after a mission for the Blades.  With no way of contacting anyone and no supplies he sets off in search of water but runs into some familiar faces along the way.  Are they really there?  Are they in his imagination?  It's getting harder and harder to tell.





	Real, or Not Real

The instruments surrounding him were screaming in agitation. Lights were flashing a foreboding red color. But most worryingly of all was the desert planet, quickly looming ahead of his failing ship. Keith gripped the controls in front of him tightly, attempting to minimize the damage that would happen from the inevitable crash. 

The mission for the Blades had gone wrong. Keith had been meant to get in and out of a Galra ship undetected. Key words here are meant to. He managed to get on just fine but somehow he had managed to trip some kind of sensor on his way back to his ship. As he was attempting to get away Galra fighters were sent after him. He managed to destroy quite a few but took some heavy fire. When he took a shot to his left wing he knew that he had to turn his focus to escape. Even with the busted wing his smaller ship was faster and he was able to lose the fighters through an asteroid belt. 

The surface of the planet was becoming closer and closer at an alarming rate. Keith closed his eyes and remembered another time when he stared death right in the face, a time when he invited it if only it meant that his friends, his family, would survive. There was no one to sacrifice his life for here. This was not how it was supposed to be. This was not how he was supposed to go. Keith’s grip on the controls tightened further as he worked to level the ship out enough to lessen the impact. 

When the impact came Keith could only hope that he had done enough to get out of this alive, please let it be enough.

***

A loud whining noise filled the air, ceaselessly attacking Keith’s ears. What is that annoying sound and why hasn’t Pidge fixed it? Keith thought, opening his eyes only to be assaulted with the realization that he wasn’t on the castle ship and he wasn’t with his team.

The blinking lights from before the crash were still flashing furiously. Keith levered himself up from his position, splayed across the controls. With a cry his hands flew to his side where he felt a sharp pain, right between his ribs. Slowly gaining his bearings Keith realized that he couldn’t stay in ship. If the monitors could still be trusted despite the noise and the flashing lights then the fuel tanks were leaking at a fast pace and the ship would not last much longer.

Groaning, Keith managed to push himself up and stagger toward the rear hatch, thankfully the panel to open it seemed undamaged and soon Keith was outside. His eyes were not prepared for the sheer brightness that two suns cause. Squinting, with both hands held up in an attempt to block the suns, Keith stumbled forward through the red sand. 

Keith kept moving forward until his foot caught on a rock and he pitched forward. Coughing at the sand that had gone up his nose and down his throat he turned his body to look back at the ship. The ship didn’t look too bad. It was still mostly in one piece, maybe he could have stayed there and worked on sending out a distress signal.

Before Keith could even finish that thought he noticed some sparks, then fire, and soon an explosion that ripped the ship to pieces. 

“Well so much for that plan then,” Keith mumbled, pushing himself back up to his feet. Once again his hand reached to his side where he felt a sharp pain. Pulling his hand back gingerly Keith looked down and saw it was covered in blood. Biting back a groan he then looked down at his side where he saw a rip in his Blades suit. Something, a piece of the ship probably, had gone through his side leaving in its wake a wide gash that was dripping blood at an alarming rate. 

Not having much else to work with Keith pulled out his blade and, with some contorting and an immense amount of pain, he managed to cut off the hood to his suit. He then cut the hood into smaller strips which he used to attempt to bind his wound.

“That’ll have to do for now,” he said, “now, what do I do?”

The Blades all had a tracking device in their suits so eventually someone would decide to come and check to see where he had gotten to, the question was when. He was too far from anyone for his comm to be of any use.

“Find water. I won’t last long in this desert if I don’t find water.” Keith started taking halting steps toward one of the suns. Looking around all he could see was red sand, no buildings, no plants, nothing but red sand. 

***

Keith wasn’t sure how long he had been walking. Both suns were still high in the sky, barely seeming to have moved, but it felt like Keith had been stumbling along for hours.

“Man, this is stupid even for you.”

The sudden, familiar voice startled Keith. He stopped and turned to his left where Pidge stood in their Paladin armor. 

“Pidge?” Keith couldn’t think of anything else to say. This made no sense. How had they found him so quickly?

“You’re an idiot, you know that right?” Pidge snarled at him, “You can’t even do a simple reconnaissance mission. You had one job and you couldn’t even do that. No wonder you couldn’t cut it as the leader of Voltron if you can’t even keep yourself alive.” 

Keith blinked, then blinked again, stunned. “Pidge, what? How are you here? What’s going on?”

“What’s going on is that you got yourself killed which is probably for the best. Means we don’t have to worry anymore about you getting one of us killed.” The look Pidge was giving him was one he had never seen from them but sadly was a look he knew well, hatred.

“No, this isn’t, this can’t be real. You can’t be here. This is not real!” Keith yelled at Pidge, no at the apparition. And just as quickly as Pidge had appeared they disappeared.

Keith shook his head and looked back to check that Pidge was no longer there. 

“Not real. It wasn’t real. I just need to find some water. Then I’ll figure out what to do next.”

*** 

Keith was starting to think that the two suns never set on this planet. One good thing was that the temperature seemed to be consistent. One bad thing was that the temperature seemed to be consistently boiling. 

Keith’s entire body was drenched in sweat. His hair was plastered to his neck and face and his suit felt like it was 10 pounds heavier. 

Vargas had to have gone by but Keith really had no way of knowing for sure. Checking his side he honestly couldn’t tell if the wound was still bleeding or not. His makeshift bandage was soaked through with blood and sweat and he didn’t want to risk taking the bandage off to get a look.

“Well, look at Mister hot shot pilot now.”

Standing in front of his was Lance in his Paladin armor, bayard activated and resting against his shoulder.

Keith kept walking, trying his best to ignore the latest apparition, scanning the horizon to see if he could spot any vegetation or water.

“What’s this, the third time you’ve crashed in the past two months? You seem to be a lot better at crashing than flying. Well, never mind, if you were good at crashing then you wouldn’t be here now would you?”

“What do you mean?” Keith asked, unable to ignore Lance any longer. 

“I mean that you should have finished the job. You know, the old I’m gonna sacrifice myself routine you did for attention. Honestly we would all be better off if you had just gone ahead and crashed into the debris that Lotor created when he managed to save us all.”

“You’re not real,” Keith mumbled, keeping his head and eyes down, avoiding Lance’s gaze at all costs.

“Yeah, so what. I might not be real but that doesn’t mean what I’m saying is any less true. The team has been functioning smoother than ever without you on it.”

Keith looked Lance straight in the eyes, trying to not let the words and the hate cut him to his core. “I’m sorry. You aren't real. Please leave me alone.”

“Please leave me alone,” Lance mocked, “Goodness have you always been this whiny? We should have dropped your dead weight ages ago.”

“I’m not listening to you anymore,” Keith tried to ignore him, he tried to keep walking, but Lance stood directly in his path and wouldn’t move.

“Do us all a favor and don’t come back this time,” Lance sneered and then disappeared.

Keith blinked and blinked and continued to blink the sand out of his eyes. It was just the sand irritating his eyes nothing else. He’d find water and then the Blades would find him. It would all be fine.

***

It wasn’t all fine. Keith was completely convinced now that the suns never set. Not a single plant, or animal, or drop of water was in sight. He should have just stayed near the ship instead of wasting his energy like this.

He had stopped sweating a while ago. He was pretty sure this was a bad thing but couldn’t find the energy to care. His side was definitely still bleeding if the stain from his ribs down to his knees was any indication. Everything around him was looking wobblier or maybe he was the wobbly one. 

One minute he was putting his foot in front of the other and the next he was face first in the red sand.

He had no more energy, whatever happened from here on out was out of his control.

A shadow fell over his face, blocking out one of the two suns.

“Oh Keith.”

“Shiro?” Keith croaked through chapped lips.

“Look at the mess you got yourself into,” Shiro said, moving so he was crouching next to Keith.

“Help, Shiro, I can’t move anymore.”

“And why do you think I’d help you?” Shiro asked, looking confused.

“Shiro, please, water. Do you have water?” Keith asked, desperate for a sip, a drop of water.

“Hmmm, yes I do have water,” Shiro said, pulling out one of the water pouches, “But it’s not for you.” Shiro chugged the water pouch down.

Keith whimpered not sure what was going on. 

“Please?” 

Shiro looked down at Keith and held the now empty water pouch tauntingly over his head.

“No, Galra don’t deserve water.”

“Shiro, no.”

“You thought you could fool us all into thinking you were a part of our team. Well you can’t. We got wise to your game Galra scum. The best day for Voltron was the day you left.”

Shiro’s hand began to glow.

“No, Shiro please, no,” Keith mumbled, the words barely pushing through his lips. 

“Keith.”

“No, please, no, Shiro.” The hand started to get closer.

“Keith.”

“Please, no.” The hand was around his neck.

“Keith!”

“No, no. Shiro, no.” The hand began to squeeze.

“Keith!”

Black spots danced across his vision. The last thing Keith saw before the darkness won was Shiro’s face, filled with hatred just like Pidge, just like Lance.

***

Cold. That was the next conscious thought Keith had. Wherever he was it was cold. A rush of air hit him and he was stumbling forward into the arms of someone.

Opening his eyes Keith realized he had fallen into Shiro’s arms.

“No!” he shouted, pushing out of Shiro’s arms and stumbling backwards.

“Woah Keith, it’s alright, you’re safe now,” Shiro said, holding his hands up to show he wasn’t a threat. But Keith knew better.

Looking around Keith took in his surroundings. Everyone was there; Kolivan, Allura, Coran, Pidge, Lance, Hunk.

Subconsciously Keith moved so he was closest to Hunk, keeping Pidge, Lance and Shiro in sight.

“You were there!” he said, pointing toward them.

“Yeah, we rescued your sorry, heat stroked butt. You’re welcome!” Lance shot back, nonchalantly.

“You were severely dehydrated when we got there Keith, I’m surprised you remember us even being there,” Pidge spoke up.

“No, don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about. After everything you three said, I might not have been able to defend myself then but how dare you say those things to me. After everything we’ve done, I thought you were all better than that.” Keith said sadly.

“What do you mean after everything we said?” Shiro asked.

“Don’t make me repeat it,” Keith pleaded.

“But Keith when we got there you were already incoherent. You just kept mumbling to yourself. You were never awake enough for us to have any kind of conversation,” Pidge said, looking more and more confused.

“Keith, whatever you saw, whatever you heard, it wasn’t real, it wasn’t us,” Shiro said, stepping forward while reaching out with his hand. All Keith saw was the hand going toward his throat again.

“No!” he cried out, stumbling backward into Hunk and flailing when Hunk tried to hold him steady.

“Keith, it had to be a hallucination. Kolivan alerted us to the fact that you hadn’t checked in from your mission yet. He sent us the coordinates since we were closer. We got to the planet, you were incoherent and basically unconscious, and we brought you back. Nothing more happened,” Pidge reasoned. 

“But,” Keith looked around at all the concerned faces in the room. He looked first at Allura and Coran and then braved a glance at Pidge and Lance and Shiro. In their faces he found no traces of hatred, only concern.

“It was so real,” he muttered.

“You’re here now, you’re safe. Let’s get you some food and then, when you’re ready we can talk about what you saw.”

Shiro must have seen the look on Keith’s face because he continued saying, “Whatever it is you think you saw and heard I can assure you that it is not what you think. Trust me.”

Keith stared directly at Shiro, weighing his words. Everything was all jumbled up in his mind. He slightly remembered thinking that the visions he was seeing were just that, visions, but then they got all mixed up in his head and they started to seem real.

Turning his head Keith caught Hunks reassuring gaze.

“Alright,” Keith said, moving to walk with the others as they went to get food, but still keeping a good distance between himself and the other Paladins. Real or not it would take some time for him to feel comfortable again.

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly not sure how I feel about this one. This story has been popping around my head for a while now and I'm not sure I'm happy with the execution. Oh well, hopefully it was at least somewhat enjoyable! Also I just couldn't bring myself to write a scene with Hunk being mean. I don't know why it just didn't feel right for this fic plus I think it makes it a little more hopeful if Keith has at least one person he's not feeling confused about. 
> 
> Comment if you like!
> 
> Oh, and I have a tumblr now. So I guess check me out there too if you want!  
> https://wordsaplentyao3.tumblr.com/


End file.
